


Underneath

by PacketofRedApples



Category: Control (Video Game)
Genre: Drabble, Emotionally Repressed, M/M, Touch-Starved, mentions blood and scars
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-09
Updated: 2021-03-09
Packaged: 2021-03-15 21:15:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 932
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29939511
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PacketofRedApples/pseuds/PacketofRedApples
Summary: Trench is one gentle touch away from crumbling down.
Relationships: Casper Darling/Zachariah Trench
Kudos: 12





	Underneath

**Author's Note:**

> Written while listening to "Kiss You All Over" by Exile. Enjoy.   
> All-day yesterday, I've been thinking gentle thoughts about Trench...

Trench comes into Dr. Darling’s lab located in Central Executive, upon invitation. Or more so, request. There Casper jumps up from his seat at the desk once the door opens and ushers the Director deeper into the room.

“What is it, Darling?” Trench asks, not quite annoyed but sounding like it anyway. Something the other was used to, therefore he just ignores the tone and prepares to answer.

“I thought Director should be privy to this information first.” He says, closing the door, leaving the two of them in the dimly lit room. Trench looks around, squints at the man in front of him as he walks around the small space, collecting tidbits and placing them on the desk in the near center of the room.

The Altered Item resting on the desk was new, recently brought in that is. Trench looks it over, questioningly. Ready for a tirade of explanation to come from the doctor. It doesn’t. Not yet.

Instead, Darling tells him to hold up his arm, palm pointed at the seemingly normal-looking Bolo bat. Trench complies, but seemingly it wasn’t quite right as Darling moves in and gently takes Zachariah’s hand, carefully guiding it into the correct position, only to hear a soft hitch in the Director's breath. It’s barely audible, but Darling picks up on it more due to Trench’s sudden tenseness. The scientist glances over, only to spot the glossy eyes hidden behind glasses and the thin line his lips press into. Darling tries not to stare but tucks away the information for later.

Looking back at the children’s toy, it starts to hover off the table, not a lot, but slightly.

“And what do I do with this information?” Trench asks, quieter than anything Darling’s heard from him yet.

“It’s non-hostile, it just wants to play. It’s close to a class clown than anything worth mentioning, very similar to OOP7-KE.” Darling says, cheery in his tone before letting go of Trench’s hand, seemingly remembering what he saw before.

The Director blinks, staring at it, but clearly, his head is elsewhere. Casper would pay no mind to him, but his heart is already tugging at him oddly.

“Can I come over for drinks later, tonight?” Darling quietly asks, leaning into Trench’s space. Trench pauses looks over the other and eventually nods before curtly turning around and walking away back to his office. “At 7? Your apartment?” The Doctor shouts after, just to be sure. Trench merely waves from where he was at the door, continuing on his way. Perfect.

* * *

Trench opens the door and lets Darling inside without as much as a second to pause and think about it. It’s normal, exactly what they’re used to. Darling is carrying a bottle of whiskey with him, so it’s much of the same as always. Trench stands further in the hallway as Darling removes his coat and shoes, walks after Trench into the living room then.

Once the bottle is placed on the coffee table, where two glasses are waiting, Trench is about to sit down on the couch, ready to no longer be fully sober. But Casper grabs his left arm, brings it closer to his chest.

Trench’s hands are warm, contrasting Darling’s cold ones. The scientist smiles, softly at the sight of their fingers entwined, Trench lacks amusement in this, if anything he finds himself concerned. Casper goes on, ignoring the other man’s possible disagreement with this, and unbuttons his shirt sleeve. Rolls it up to reveal more of his arm. The amount of scars covering Zachariah is frightening to Darling, now that he’s faced with them, possibly more than he sees now existing. Thankfully, most are light and only barely noticeable, but then there’s a few that are quite prominent. For example, one from a run-in with an aggressive Altered Item, going from his wrist to his elbow… Casper remembers the consequences of Trench walking away once it was tamed. The white shirt sleeve turned red from the blood, itself torn and revealing his forearm in the most unpleasant of ways. The medics stitched him up several times as he ignored their recommendations to not move it too much. Darling traces the remnants of it, just barely touching it. Trench stares at him, questioning, but the slight tremor in his hand is unmistakable. Trying to hold himself together, but once the other glances up there’s the unmistakable shine to his eyes.

God, was he really so close to collapsing, already?

“Darling…” Zachariah mutters, his voice shaky and rough, strained against his best wishes. “What are you doing?”

“I think you’re missing out. Can’t hide behind the macho façade all the time, now can you?” Darling chuckles, sadly, before bringing up Trench’s palm to his face and softly resting it against his lips. “I don’t want you to feel like it’s just you.” He says in full honesty.

Trench blinks, still fighting back against the crumbling walls.

“Ok.” The Director says. Voice low, but not dangerous. Just hoarse.

Darling lets go of his hand then walking closer to the other man and hugging him. Trench freezes in spot, rigid. Eventually, as he picks up this isn’t going to be a quick hug, he allows for it to continue by relaxing slightly, putting his hands on the scientist’s waist, even if it felt awkward.

“I’ll always be here on your side.” Darling says as if he were whispering sweet nothings to a lover’s ear, trying to reassure them. Trench is terrified of how close to the reality this is. Instead, the last of the walls just crumble down.


End file.
